Foot-massaging sandal

ABSTRACT

A foot-massaging sandal of flexible construction so that the toe portion may bend relatively to the other part of the sandal during the walking, and the foot-contacting surface of which sandal is provided with irregularly disposed ridges which effect a massaging action on the plantar surface of the foot.

United States Patent Richard Kugler Frankfurt, Gumany 771,727

Oct. 30, 1968 July 27, 197 l The Scholl Mfg. Co., Inc. Chicago, 11].

Inventor Appl. No. Filed Patented Assignee FOOT-MASSAGING SANDAL l0Claim, 5 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 128/582,

, 36/1 1.5 A6lf 5/14 Field o1Search... 128/582,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,734,286 2/1956 Anson 36/11.5 X 3,063,458 11/1962 Scholl 128/615 3,468,040 9/1969 Fukuoka 36/11.5

Primary ExaminerRichard A. Gaudet Assistant Examiner-J. YaskoAttorney-Hill, Sherman, Meroni, Gross & Simpson ABSTRACT: Afoot-massaging sandal of flexible construction so that the toe portionmay bend relatively to the other part of the sandal during the walking,and the foot-contacting surface of which sandal is provided withirregularly disposed ridges which effect a massaging action on theplantar surface of the foot.

PATENTED JUL27 I97:

FOOT-MASSAGING SANDAL I-Ieretofore, foot-exercising sandals have beenprovided consisting of a rigid wooden block contoured on its uppersurface in keeping with the plantar surface of the human foot, andprovided with a ridge extending substantially transversely across theforward portion of the block to underlie the toes, the constructionbeing such that when the wearer steps, the toes alternately grip andrelease the elevation so providing exercise for the foot. The uppersurface of the block, however, was entirely smooth so that no massagingaction occurred.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The instant invention or discovery not onlyprovides exercising in the manner of the sandal made heretofore, butalso massages the plantar surface of the human foot in regions wheresuch massaging is most effective for stimulating, strengthening of thetoe and foot muscles, and promoting blood circulationof the foot and thelegs. The instant sandal, being preferably flexible, insures propermassaging by the bending of the foot-contacting portion of the sandalalong with the outer sole thereof. The massaging is caused by elongatedelevations or ridges on the foot-contacting surface of the sandal andthese ridges are disposed in irregular order, some long, some short,some higher than the others, and there are variances in the spacingbetween adjacent ridges and the length of the ridges. Certain portionsof the foot-contacting surface are devoid of ridges to eliminatemassaging where least necessary and in those locations where massagingmight prove painful owing to corns or callouses. Further, the ridges aidin maintaining the sandal properly on the foot.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspectiveview illustrating a sandal embodying principles of this invention inproper position upon a human foot; 3

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of the foot-contactingsurface ofthe sandal;

FIG. 3 is a fragmental longitudinal vertical sectional view takensubstantially as indicated by the line III-III of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view taken substantially asindicated by the line lV-IV of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse vertical sectional viewtaken substantially as indicated by the line V-V of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In the illustrated embodiment ofthe instant invention there is shown a sandal comprising an outer sole 1which may be leather, rubber, or a resilient composition of known kind.

A materially thicker insole 2 overlies the outer sole 1 and may besecured thereto by cementitious material as indicated at 3 in FIG. 3. Asseen in FIG. 1, the sandal may be maintained upon a foot 4, by a pair ofstrap elements 5 and 6, the exposed ends of which may be connected by aslidable buckle 7, this buckle 7 being of the same type set forth andclaimed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,088,184 issued May 7, I963.

The insole may be made of various suitable materials, such as polyvinylchloride foam, polyethylene foam, and others but which is preferablymade of molded integral polyurethane foam. The insole may be molded by aknown process, and when so molded, as exemplified by the showing in FIG.5, will have a foam interior 8 yieldable to the weight ofa wearer, andthis foam is totally encased by tough and denser skin 9 formed bycontact with the molds. The skin 9 has a pleasing external appearanceand no finishing of the skin is necessary, since the extreme durabilityof the skin maintains that appearance, and should the insole becomedirty, the skin may be cleansed to its original appearance merely bywashing the same with water or the like.

The insole is on integral molded piece and any depressions or elevationsvisible on the surface of the insole will be both in the skin 9 and thesofter foam interior 8. All of the contouring of the insole and theprovision of massaging elevations results from a single moldingoperation. The insole is in general contoured in keeping with theplantar surface of the normal foot including an elevated portion at 10adapted to lie under the longitudinal arch of the foot, a depressed heelseat at 11, a somewhat depressed anterior portion as indicted at 12, andalso a generally transverse crest or elevation at 13. This crest 13extends inwardly from the outer edge of the insole but terminates shortof the area receptive of the great toe and is disposed justanteriorly'of the metatarsal arch of the foot enabling the four outertoes to extend over the elevation while the metatarsal heads contact theinsole at the rear side of the elevation. The elevation increasesinthickness until it reaches a relatively greater height under the secondand third toes of the foot and then drops off abruptly toward the greattoe. In short, this elevation has the general shape of the elevation forsimilar exercising purpose shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,063,457 issued Nov.13-, 1962.

For massaging the plantar surface of the foot, the upper face of theinsole has forward, central and rear portions provided with a number ofgenerally transversely extending ridges of various widths, heights, andspacing. For example, there is an upstanding ridge 14 forming thebounding edge including the sides of the insole which is for the purposeof maintaining the foot properly seated on the insole. At the rearportion of the upper face comprising the heel seat of the insole thereare alternate ridges 15 extending from the bounding ridge 14 butterminating short of the opposite side of the bounding edge so that inthe area that is adapted to lie directly beneath the os calcis theridges are evenly spaced, but adjacent the bounding edge the ridgesleave a space over twice as wide therebetween. This arrangement is toconcentrate the massaging action directly beneath the os calcis of thefoot and lessen the massaging action against the fleshy materialadjacent the sides of the heel. In the central portion of the faceadapted to lie beneath the longitudinal arch of the foot, there is aseries of ridges 16 extending the full width of the insole and spacedcloser together than the ridges elsewhere on the insole. Forwardly ofthe ridges 16 are three relatively short centrally disposed ridges 17which are adapted to underlie the rear portion of the metatarsal arch ofthe foot. The ridges 16 and 17 are substantially twice the height of theremaining ridges on the insole to insure proper massaging of thelongitudinal and metatarsal arches of the foot where added height isnecessary for that purpose. For example, these ridges 16 and 17 maysatisfactorily be 2 mm. in height whereas other ridges on the insole maysatisfactorily be 1 mm. in height, although those specific dimensionsare not critical. Extending inwardly from the bounding ridge 14 andterminating short of the higher ridges 17 are a plurality of ridges 18on each side of the ridges 17 which are of the lower height. Forwardlyof the higher ridges 17, is a series of centrally disposed ridges 19which are adapted to underlie the forward portion of the metatarsal archand are of the lesser height. Opposed spaced 20 and 21 adapted to liebeneath the first and the fifth metatarsal heads of the foot are devoidof ridges to avoid painful massage of corns or callouses that frequentlyform at those points, especially in the case of women after wearing highheel shoes. At the anterior end of the insole there is a pair of shortridges 22 extending approximately to the termination of the elevation13, which ridges lend a massaging action to the great toe. At the outerforward portion of the insole a series of four short ridges is providedspaced apart in keeping with the length of the four outer toes of thefoot, these ridges being forward of the elevation 13, The provision ofsuch ridges as above described stabilizes the foot, and provide adequatemassage at the places most needed on the foot, avoiding those regionswhere massaging may be extremely painful and is not in fact reallynecessary.

As will be observed in the drawing, the various ridges are at least aswide at juncture with the upper face of the insole as their heightwhereby they will flex only vertically with flexing of said insole sueto the variance in foot pressure while walking in the sandal.

With reference now to FIG. 4, it will be seen that the insole 2 ismolded on its underside to accommodate the inner ends of the attachingstraps 5 and 6, a recess 24 being formed on each side of the centerportion of the inlay in keeping with the shape of the strap end. Thisarrangement permits V-shaped notches to be cut in the inner end of thestraps, and the straps formed over at last so that while the straps areinitially flat, they result in having a curvature longitudinally of thefoot in keeping with the shape of the natural foot on each side.Accordingly the straps fit more comfortably and the attachment to thefoot is firmer. The strap ends are each held by adhesive 25 or othercementitious material to the lower face of the insole at one side and tothe upper face of the outer sole on the other side.

From the foregoing, it is apparent that I have provided a strong anddurable, yet economical sandal capable of both exercising and massagingthe foot, lending emphasis to the parts of the foot needing more massagethan other parts.

lt will be understood that modifications and variations may be effectedwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts of thepresent invention.

1 claim as my invention:

1. A footmassaging sandal having forward, central and rear portions andcomprising:

an outer sole with a thicker resilient insole overlying said outer soleand secured thereto;

said insole having an upper face on the forward portion of which thereis an elevation extending transversely from one side of the face towardthe opposite side whereby to underlie and be gripped by the outer fourtoes of a foot for exercising the same;

a plurality of spaced ridges integrally formed with, and upstandingfrom, the upper face of said insole to exert a massaging action on thefoot during use of the sandal;

the central portion of said face having said ridges extendingsubstantially the width of said central portion;

the rear portion of said face having said ridges extending from one sideand short of the opposite side thereof;

said ridges being at least as wide at juncture with said upper face astheir height and flexing only vertically with the flexing of said insoledue to the variance in foot pressure while walking; and

means for attaching the sandal to the foot of a user.

2. A foot-massaging sandal according to claim 1, wherein said frontportion of said face has ridges which are shorter than the ridges on therear portion of the face.

3. A foot-massaging sandal according to claim 1, wherein said frontportion of said face has ridges which are spaced farther apart than theridges on the rear portion ofthe face.

4. A sandal according to claim 1, wherein said transverse elevationdrops off adjacent to said opposite side to leave an area adapted toreceive the great toe of the foot and which area has short ones of saidridges thereon.

5. A sandal according to claim 1, wherein said ridges on the centralportion are adapted to underlie the longitudinal arch of the foot and agroup of ridges is provided forwardly adjacent to said central portionridges and adapted to underlie the rear portion of the metatarsal archof the foot.

6. A sandal according to claim 5, wherein said central portion ridgesand said group of ridges are higher than the ridges elsewhere on saidface.

7. A sandal according to claim 1, wherein said insole including saidridges is molded integrally from polyurethane foam having a relativelysoft foam interior covered by a dense tough skin providing said upperface and including said elevation and said ridges.

8. A sandal according to claim 1, wherein one of said ridges defines theupper bounding edge of said face and other ofsaid rid es have ends mering with said bounding edge.

. A sandal accor ing to claim 1, wherein said forward portion of theupper face has areas which are smooth and devoid of ridges rearwardlyadjacent to said elevation and adapted to receive the first and fifthmetatarsal heads of the foot thereon.

10. A sandal according to claim 1, wherein said ridges on the rearportion of said face are adapted to lie under the heel ofthe foot andare spaced closer in the central area ofthe rear portion to lie underthe os calcis and spaced farther apart at the sides of the rear portionwhere adapted to lie under the fleshy tissue adjacent the sides of theheel.

1. A foot-massaging sandal having forward, central and rear portions andcomprising: an outer sole with a thicker resilient insole overlying saidouter sole and secured thereto; said insole having an upper face on theforward portion of which there is an elevation extending transverselyfrom one side of the face toward the opposite side whereby to underlieand be gripped by the outer four toes of a foot for exercising the same;a plurality of spaced ridges integrally formed with, and upstandingfrom, the upper face of said insole to exert a massaging action on thefoot during use of the sandal; the central portion of said face havingsaid ridges extending substantially the width of said central portion;the rear portion of said face having said ridges extending from one sideand short of the opposite side thereof; said ridges being at least aswide at juncture with said upper face as their height and flexing onlyvertically with the flexing of said insole due to the variance in footpressure while walking; and means for attaching the sandal to the footof a user.
 2. A foot-massaging sandal according to claim 1, wherein saidfront portion of said face has ridges which are shorter than the ridgeson the rear portion of the face.
 3. A foot-massaging sandal according toclaim 1, wherein said front portion of said face has ridges which arespaced farther apart than the ridges on the rear portion of the face. 4.A sandal according to claim 1, wherein said transverse elevation dropsoff adjacent to said opposite sIde to leave an area adapted to receivethe great toe of the foot and which area has short ones of said ridgesthereon.
 5. A sandal according to claim 1, wherein said ridges on thecentral portion are adapted to underlie the longitudinal arch of thefoot and a group of ridges is provided forwardly adjacent to saidcentral portion ridges and adapted to underlie the rear portion of themetatarsal arch of the foot.
 6. A sandal according to claim 5, whereinsaid central portion ridges and said group of ridges are higher than theridges elsewhere on said face.
 7. A sandal according to claim 1, whereinsaid insole including said ridges is molded integrally from polyurethanefoam having a relatively soft foam interior covered by a dense toughskin providing said upper face and including said elevation and saidridges.
 8. A sandal according to claim 1, wherein one of said ridgesdefines the upper bounding edge of said face and other of said ridgeshave ends merging with said bounding edge.
 9. A sandal according toclaim 1, wherein said forward portion of the upper face has areas whichare smooth and devoid of ridges rearwardly adjacent to said elevationand adapted to receive the first and fifth metatarsal heads of the footthereon.
 10. A sandal according to claim 1, wherein said ridges on therear portion of said face are adapted to lie under the heel of the footand are spaced closer in the central area of the rear portion to lieunder the os calcis and spaced farther apart at the sides of the rearportion where adapted to lie under the fleshy tissue adjacent the sidesof the heel.